


Recall

by Misskiku



Series: Bederia Goodness [26]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, bederia week 2021, they both think its unrequited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:23:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29710893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misskiku/pseuds/Misskiku
Summary: Bederia Week 2021: Day 5 - First 'I love you'Gloria and Bede try to act like nothing has changed between them following their kiss after the League Gala.But, of course, that's not as easy as it sounds.
Relationships: Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Bederia Goodness [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630534
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40
Collections: Bederia Week 2021





	Recall

It was a welcoming, albeit surprising, sight to see Gloria saunter into the Fairy Gym, as if nothing had happened between her and Bede. As if they hadn't kissed not once, but twice, in the past few days. Bede collected himself and straightened. He tried to hide his disappointment that the kisses they'd shared hadn't left a lasting impression on her. His heart flopped heavily in his chest. As she approached, he decided to greet Gloria as per usual.

"Please tell me you haven't gotten yourself into more trouble so soon," Bede said, teasing her with the faintest of smiles on his face. "Need I remind you of the many favours I've already done for you this year?" 

Gloria huffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "What, I can't come visit you for no reason?" She stared him down for a moment, her reaction - or lack thereof - towards him giving Bede pause. 

Perhaps nothing had changed between them after all. 

"Fine, if you're so busy-" she whirled on her heels "-I'll go find someone else to bother."

Bede bit back a smile. He could tell she was pouting, her cheeks puffed, by the sound of her voice. 

"Hold on, I never said I was busy," he said quickly, making Gloria stop before she'd reached the automatic doors. She peeked over her shoulder at him, unconvinced. The fake hurt on her face, her expression an absolute put-on, made him want to laugh. He swallowed the mirth that bubbled in his chest, forcing down his grin. Arceus, she was adorable when she didn't get her way. It made him want to tease her more. 

"In fact," Bede continued, thinking on the spot for a reason to make her stay, "I might just call in one of the favours you owe me." 

Gloria slowly turned back to face him. Her brow furrowed slightly. "What sort of favour?" 

"If you're willing to put yourself to good use, then come with me," Bede said, beckoning her to follow as he headed backstage. Gentle footfalls trailed behind him, the clasps of Gloria's bag jangling as she shifted its weight on her back, and Bede couldn't help but smirk at how she'd followed him without question. He led her into a room usually used for storage, the back wall crammed with overstuffed boxes, and gestured for her to take a seat at the table. 

Gloria swept her gaze around the room in mute awe. Costume racks and half-painted backdrops lined the walls. The table in the centre of the room was covered with stationary and an array of books - notebooks, workbooks and dictionaries - and Gloria paused, craning her head to read one of them as she passed. She frowned in confusion, and glanced at Bede. 

"What language is this?" she asked, sliding into a chair and depositing her bag on the floor. 

Bede shut the door behind him and took a seat opposite her. "Kalosian," he said. He slid a notebook towards himself, the pages filled with his cursive script. 

Gloria blinked at him. "I can't speak Kalosian." 

"I assumed as much." Bede acted as though he was paying little attention to her, flipping open a dictionary with his right hand to thumb through the pages. He found the entry he was after, and held the page open with his fingers as he jotted down the translation in his workbook. Next to it, he detailed the correct pronunciation.

She watched him for a moment, confused, before grabbing one of the other books that were on the table, one that translated common Kalosian phrases. As her eyes trailed over the words, her brow furrowed more and more. Her lips twisted in thought. Lips that, a few days ago, Bede had felt against his own. He stole his gaze away quickly before she could notice that he was staring, before heat could rise up his neck and pool across his cheeks. He needed to focus. She'd only let him kiss her because he'd agreed that it wouldn't change anything between them, and he would uphold that, even as he desperately wished to kiss her again. 

_ Damn it. _ Bede swallowed thickly, his mind vividly replaying that moment, from the sweet blush on Gloria's face as she closed her eyes, to how silken her hair had felt between his fingers, and the intoxicating sound that she'd made when he'd finally pulled away. That sound haunted him. A soft moan, felt against his lips as they'd parted, echoed in his mind as clearly as it had that day. He wondered what it would be like for her to say his name like that- 

"Bede?" 

Bede jolted, snapping the pencil in his hand. She gaped at him, at the wooden fragments between his fingers, in shock. Bede cleared his throat, tossing the broken pencil in the wastebasket beside him. 

"Yes?" he answered her gruffly, his skin prickling as if all his nerves had come to life at once. So much for nothing changing between them- he couldn't get that kiss out of his mind, especially not with Gloria right in front of him. 

"Uh…" Still a bit stunned, it took a moment for her to speak again. "What was the favour you wanted me here for?" 

Right. The reason - _the_ _excuse_ \- that he'd come up with in order to extend her visit for a while longer. 

"I require someone to test my skills in Kalosian," he said. "That book you're holding details common phrases- as simple as it is to work through them myself, I need more of a challenge if I'm to achieve competency in Kalosian." 

"Why Kalosian? Do you need it for a play or something?" 

"If it was for a play, I'd be learning a script, not common phrases," Bede pointed out. "Kalos is our closest neighbour, and where the Fairy type was first discovered. That alone is enough of a reason to learn their language. I've also been advised that some of our most ardent fans are from Kalos- the kind of fans who may, perhaps, choose to sponsor us if we make a good enough impression the next time they visit." 

Gloria nodded slowly. "How am I supposed to test you if I don't know the correct meaning, though? I don't think I can pronounce any of these!" 

Bede resisted the urge to huff. She had a point. "I wouldn't be asking you to test me if I was so unsure of myself. All you need to do is point at a phrase, and I'll translate it. The answers are at the bottom, although I doubt I'll need them." 

"So… you just want me to pick phrases for you to translate?" 

"For now, yes." 

It was a flimsy excuse. Bede could study Kalosian well enough on his own, and Gloria would be more distracting than helpful, but with the confusing moments they'd shared over the past few weeks, he longed to spend more time with her- especially if it meant getting closer to unravelling the conundrum that was Gloria. 

"It'll be easier to point out phrases if I'm sitting next to you," she said, getting out of her seat before Bede could protest. He stiffened as she sat in the chair beside him, close enough that their arms almost brushed. For someone who had struggled to meet his eyes after they'd kissed, she had no issue with sitting so close to him days after the fact. Had she truly moved on so quickly? She glanced over at him and there it was- the infinitesimal widening of her eyes as she realised just how close they were sitting. Bede's heart lifted. Maybe he still had a chance.

Maybe, just maybe, he could win Gloria over one day. 

* * *

Gloria almost turned to stone the second her eyes landed on Bede's. She'd jumped into the seat beside him without thinking, and was instantly taken back to that moment a few days ago, that moment where they'd sat side by side like this, where Bede's fingers had caressed her cheek. All she'd seen in the reflection of his violet eyes was herself, the cage around her heart falling away for the brief moment he'd kissed her. A jolt of warmth shot through her veins at the memory. 

_ Don't think about that now! _ Gloria snapped at herself, tearing her eyes away from Bede's shapely lips, knowing very well how it had felt to have them meld against her own. Her lungs fluttered, leaving her to take a sharp breath, and she jabbed her finger at a sentence in Kalosian. 

"What- What does this mean?" she asked. 

Her heart pounded, and as Bede leant over to get a better look at the words she was pointing at, she shoved the book closer to him. His shoulder brushed hers, that slight contact bringing to the full force of her attention how it felt to have him so close. She felt dizzy and giddy at the same time. Unable to hear Bede's response despite the fact that he was close enough to be speaking into her ear. 

As much as she'd pleaded with Bede to not let their kiss change anything between them, her heart had other ideas. The night after he'd kissed her, she hadn't slept at all. Whenever she had closed her eyes, the moment by the lake had come back to her. Now, every time she pursed her lips or chewed on a pen, she recalled the warmth of his lips. Every time she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, she recalled the sweep of his fingers through her hair, the way his touch had sent a gentle shiver through her body. It made her delirious. Breathless. And her eyes kept trailing to his lips whenever he spoke. It was maddening. Frustrating. Her feelings towards Bede had only grown since he'd kissed her, even though they hadn't seen each other after that until today.

Gloria cleared her throat as subtly as she could, her mouth going dry, and she pointed to another phrase.

"This one?" she asked. 

"That means, 'can you help me?'" Bede replied. "Pouvez-vous m’aider," he read aloud.

Gloria had no clue whether that was correct or not, as she rested her arm across the answers at the bottom of the page, but she nodded anyway. 

"This one?" 

"'Comment vous appelez-vous' means 'what is your name?'" Bede answered. 

Gloria pointed to a different phrase. "And this one?" 

"What's the time?" 

"This one?" 

"How are you?" 

"This one?" 

"I love you." 

Gloria froze. Her mind stumbled, mouth hanging open as the words she was about to say got caught on her tongue. Heat blazed across her cheeks. 

"That's what it says," Bede said hastily. "'Je t'aime' means 'I love you.'" 

"Right! Of course." Her voice came out as a squeak. "Th-That makes sense." 

Nothing made sense to her now. 

Bede cleared his throat. "Let's try some harder phrases," he suggested, reaching over to turn to the later pages of the book. Gloria yanked her hands to her sides, sitting as far back in her chair as she could, as Bede inevitably got closer to her as he flicked through the pages. A sweet smell reached her nose, making her draw in a deeper breath. 

"You smell nice," Gloria said without thinking. 

Bede stilled, looking at her in surprise. 

"I, uh, assume it's you," Gloria added quickly. "There's a sweet smell in the air, I just noticed it." 

Bede turned back to the book, having reached a page full of sentences for him to translate into Kalosian. Gloria leant forward to cover the answers with her arm again, still tasting that delicate scent on her tongue. It filled her lungs with every breath. 

"That would be the perfume from our sponsors that you're smelling," Bede said. "We had a meeting with them earlier where they showcased their latest blends." 

"It smells really nice," Gloria said, sighing faintly to herself. "Too bad perfume's exceedingly expensive. Even with my Champion's salary, I don't think I could justify buying it." 

"If you like it so much, you can have the sample I was given," Bede said, "in exchange for your assistance today." 

Gloria perked up. "Wait, really? Are you sure?" 

The satisfied grin on Bede's face made her heart flutter. "That is, of course, if you don't mind smelling like me." 

She gaped at him for a second, feeling herself flush. "Why- Why would I mind?" 

"No reason," he said with a shrug. "Although, people might begin to talk if you go around smelling like me." 

"Talk about what?" 

"About what exactly the Champion of Galar was doing with Ballonlea's Gym Leader in order for his perfume to get all over her." 

Gloria sucked in a sharp breath as Bede's insinuation hit her in the chest. The smirk on his face set her nerves alight, her mind already conjuring images fueled by their kiss a few days ago. Bede's close proximity to her now did nothing to help. 

"They- They wouldn't think that!" Gloria protested. 

"Are you sure about that?" He turned to face her completely, amusement gleaming in his eyes. "All anyone saw was you following me into this storage room. We've been in here a while already, and there is a lock on the door if, perhaps, the occupants wanted some privacy…" 

Gloria shot a glance towards the door. Her heart wedged in her throat, blood roaring through her veins. 

"After all, we've already kissed twice-" 

She slapped her hands across Bede's mouth before he could say anything more. His shock quickly turned to annoyance, and he took hold of her wrists to pull her hands away. 

"Don't- Don't mention that…!" Gloria hissed, glaring at him as her cheeks burned. She fought his attempts to tug her hands off his mouth. "You need to forget that ever happened!" 

Despite Bede's obvious displeasure at being silenced, he raised an eyebrow at her as if to say her demand was ridiculous. She knew it was, but couldn't bear to have Bede mention what happened between them out loud. The mere thought of their kiss was dangerous enough by itself.

Bede's expression changed, shifting from irritation to one she couldn't read, and in the next moment, he tugged Gloria towards him by her wrists. Pulled from her chair, she ended up practically on Bede's lap, one of her knees wedged between his thighs, and her bark of protest died in her throat at the feeling of Bede pressing his lips to the inside of her wrist. His lips were soft yet firm. Sweet warmth scorched her skin, making her pulse spike beneath his kiss, and he held her gaze, looking deep into her eyes over the top of her wrist.

An incoherent noise fled Gloria's lungs. "Wh-Wh-What are you-?!" She broke off into a squeak as Bede grazed his teeth over her pulse. She jolted away from him, tearing her arms free, and fell backwards over her chair to crash to the floor. She scrambled to sit up, holding her wrist protectively to her chest. Ignoring the pain thrumming from her shoulders, her back, and her legs from her fall. 

"Sorry," Bede said, shifting the chair she'd toppled over to the side. His smile carried no amusement, eyes softening with regret, and he offered her his hand. "I didn't realise you'd react so strongly. I was merely trying to prevent you from silencing me so forcefully again. It's not exactly polite to smother someone's mouth when they're speaking." 

"It-It's not polite to k-kiss someone's wrist either!" Gloria squawked at him. She glanced suspiciously between his hand and his face, trying to read his expression. 

"I assure you I won't kiss you again," Bede said. A hint of a smile played on his lips, and she went to accept his hand. "Unless you want me to, that is." 

Before Gloria could tug her hand back, Bede pulled her to her feet, and she ended up standing right in front of him. Barely a breath remained between them. 

"I-I don't," Gloria said in a voice that didn't sound like her- like a whisper, breathless and light. 

Bede looked into her eyes for a moment longer. "That's a shame," he said, before returning to his seat. The teasing lilt of his voice sent her heart racing again, and she huffed, as though incredulous. As though a part of her didn't want him to kiss her again. 

A part of her that was getting smaller and smaller every day. 

"Are you alright, by the way?" he asked as she sat beside him. "That was a pretty impressive fall." 

Gloria gave a sheepish laugh. She still felt flustered from the way he'd kissed her wrist- her stacking it was inconsequential.

"That was nothing," she said. "I'll be fine." 

Bede glanced at her. The amusement that had played in his eyes had all but faded. "I see." 

"What?" 

He looked away. "It's nothing." A moment later, he said, "you don't need to stay any longer. I believe I can manage the rest by myself." 

Gloria's heart plopped into her stomach. It felt like he'd knocked the wind out of her chest. 

"Are you sure? Don't you want me to test you…?" 

Bede flipped open the dictionary again, a pen in his left hand, returning to the notebook he'd written in earlier. A few empty seconds ticked by. 

"It will be better for me to study in silence," Bede said finally. 

Gloria stood. She stepped around him as her throat tightened, and snatched her bag off the floor. 

"Right." Heat built behind her eyes. She forced it down, forced her walls back in place. Forced a layer of cold steel around her heart. 

Bede didn't look at her. 

"I'll… just go, then," she said, unable to hide the hardness of her voice, and marched for the door. Gloria didn't look back once as the world blurred around her beneath a wave of tears. 

Once again, Gloria fled from the Fairy Gym as she began to cry. Once again, her mind raced with thoughts. Why had Bede suddenly pushed her away like that? What had she done wrong? 

Why did it hurt so much? 

She knew why. It was love. The one thing she despised, the one thing she feared above all else. It opened her heart up to injuries she'd never faced before. The slightest rebuff from Bede left her wounded, as though his words, him merely turning away from her, had cut into her flesh. 

She was pathetic. Weak. Vulnerable.

That was what love did to a person. 

And she hated it. She hated being in love with Bede. It spoiled their friendship, tarnished each and every interaction they had. Even her memories were tainted now, coated in a different light, permanently changed. It twisted everything Bede said. 

Despite the joy being in love brought her, Gloria wished she could tear out her heart and throw it away, before she did something she regretted. 

Before it was too late. 

Gloria marched through Ballonlea until she was out of sight by the entrance to the Glimwood Tangle, and reached into her bag. She dug out her Corviknight's Pokeball, ready to flee. Someone caught her wrist. She turned instinctively, tears spilling from her eyes before she could blink them away. Bede stood before her, breathless, his hand around the wrist that held her Pokeball. The Galarian cuff he wore around his wrist brushed against her skin. The bracelet she'd given him. 

"What-?" She gaped at Bede in shock. He frowned at her, lips twisting in frustration, as he caught his breath. 

"You're crying," he said. Confused. Concerned. A myriad of emotions flashed behind his eyes.

Gloria swiped the tears off her cheeks with her free hand. "So?" she huffed. 

"I'm-" Bede started, fumbling over his words. He took a breath. "That's because of me, isn't it?" 

Gloria said nothing. Her chest, her lungs, her heart, burned with a fire of indignation. 

His expression fell. Her silence gave him the answer he was looking for, and he let her wrist drop. Gloria held tight to her Pokeball, but didn't send her Corviknight out. Not yet. 

She hadn't expected him to follow her. 

"You're not alright, are you?" Bede asked. He exhaled softly, casting his gaze aside. "Look, I… didn't mean to hurt you. I went too far. I'm sorry." 

Gloria sniffled. Her tears began to fade, and she let herself study Bede for a moment. The regret in his eyes looked sincere, despite him getting the reason why she was crying wrong. She was so surprised by the whole situation, she didn't know how to reply. He hadn't realised how brushing her aside was what had wounded her, not him teasing her by kissing her wrist, not her falling backwards over her chair. The ache in her heart thrummed over her bruised muscles.

"Here," Bede said, holding out a small crystal bottle in his hand. It was shaped like a pair of delicate wings, a matching stopper at the top. 

Gloria pocketed her Corviknight's Pokeball so she could accept it, and stared at the bottle in awe before realising what it was. "Is this the perfume…?" 

"You said you liked the way it smelled, so…" Bede shrugged. "Take it as an apology. For hurting you." 

Gloria's mouth dropped open with a protest she couldn't voice, her heart squeezing tight. Instead, she cradled the bottle close to her heart. 

"Thank you," she said softly. "I accept your apology." 

Bede nodded stiffly, still not facing her. The hurt, the regret, reflected in his eyes made her act on impulse, drawn by the desire to soften the pain he was feeling, and she stepped close to him, rising up on her toes. 

And Bede turned to face her in that very second. 

Gloria shot back with a squeak, almost dropping the perfume bottle as she slapped her hands over her mouth. Her lips tingled and burned. 

"I-I didn't mean to-!" she stammered. 

Bede stared at her in absolute shock, his eyes going wide, before he looked away hurriedly. He coughed into his hand and flushed to the tips of his ears. It had only been for a split second, but their lips had definitely met. Again. 

"Of course. I know you didn't," Bede said, his voice cracking as he spoke. 

Gloria stared at her feet as she blushed darkly, feeling her whole body burn with a dizzying heat. "I-I was going to kiss your cheek," she explained. "As- As a thank you. For the perfume…" 

And she'd ended up kissing him on the lips instead. 

"I-I see." Bede looked just as embarrassed as she felt. 

"Please, can we… pretend this never happened…?" she asked, knowing it wasn't so simple. She wouldn't be able to forget this kiss, as accidental and brief as it was. 

"Of course." He nodded quickly. "It was an accident, after all." 

"Y-Yeah." 

An accident that she couldn't wholy regret. Something stirred inside her, a longing to do that again, to kiss him properly this time, and she stamped it out quickly. As nice as it was to kiss Bede, they were friends. He didn't like her in that way. 

Although… he had been the one to offer to kiss her the other day… 

Gloria shook that thought away. She wanted to quash her feelings for Bede, not fuel them! 

"I… I should get going," Gloria said. 

"Not on your own Corviknight, I hope." Bede raised an eyebrow at her, and she looked away sheepishly. "Let me call you a Taxi." 

"Thanks." She gave him a sheepish, but grateful, smile. As Bede ordered a Sky Taxi, the pain in Gloria's heart settled. Standing next to him, enjoying his presence, didn't feel so bad. She didn't mind passing the time with him, even if it meant doing something as mundane as waiting for a Sky Taxi together. 

Her impatience faded. The softening of her heart felt so natural, she couldn't place when it was she had begun to feel like this towards him. When, exactly, she had fallen in love with him. 

Perhaps untangling and discarding her feelings towards Bede would be more difficult than she'd thought. 

**Author's Note:**

> hehehehehe kiss   
> (sorry not sorry I can't stop myself)


End file.
